Mayor's letter.

Good day to you all.

Residents, business owners, farmers, workers, young people, partners and friends from Frankfort, Villiers, Cornelia and Tweeling, thank you for being here.

Each of you understands what a strong local economy means. It means work that puts food on the table. It means farms and shops that last from one generation to the next. And it means room for new enterprise, for young people with ideas, and for families who want to build their future here at home rather than leave to look for it elsewhere.

That is why we are hosting the Mafube Investment and Jobs Summit on 26 October 2026. This summit is a place to look honestly at the work ahead of us.

Let me say plainly what sits at the centre of it all: jobs. Too many households in Mafube have someone who is willing and able to work but cannot find work. Too many of our young people finish school with nowhere to go. Every discussion at this summit, every partnership and every investment we talk about, must answer one question: how does this help the people of our community find work and earn a living?

Our existing businesses deserve a fair opportunity to keep the jobs they have created and to grow. They are the foundation of our economy, and we must listen to what they need. At the same time, new ideas need careful preparation, clear information and partners willing to help move them forward. A good idea alone is not enough. It needs support to become a business that employs people from our own towns.

But let me be clear. The value of coming together will not be measured by what we say in the hall. It will be measured by what happens afterwards, and above all by whether more people in Mafube are working.

When we leave the summit, we should have three things. First, a better understanding of the practical constraints that hold back investment and job creation. Second, a list of opportunities we can develop responsibly, with a clear sense of the jobs each one can bring to local people. And third, actions with clear owners, so that every commitment made has someone accountable for carrying it through.

I hope the summit encourages honest discussion, even where it is uncomfortable. I hope it builds useful cooperation between government, business, agriculture and our communities. And above all, I hope it keeps our attention firmly on the people and places of Mafube, and on the jobs they need.

Our future is in our hands. Let us work for it together.

I thank you.